Chapter 34
“…….”
“…….”
The arena fell silent at the unexpected outcome.
Compared to Daimond, who was gasping for breath as if he might collapse at any moment, Dylan hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat.
Including Duke Starafit, the spectators could only stare wide-eyed, none daring to open their mouths.
Then, the referee’s announcement snapped them out of their daze.
“The winner is Sir Dylan Fairrent!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
A tremendous roar erupted.
“Amazing!”
“That was godlike dodging!”
Though Dylan hadn’t realized it, Daimond’s speed, enhanced by a speed-boosting spell, was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
However, Dylan, conditioned by too many life-threatening encounters with Asil to instinctively dodge or block anything coming at him, had rendered all of Daimond’s attacks useless.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Long live Monlepe!”
“Hand over the magic swordsman title!”
Amid the cheers of the crowd, Dylan returned to the waiting room with a bewildered expression.
And there were those watching him with meaningful smiles.
“Heh heh heh, I’m up next.”
“And I’m after that.”
They were the knights of Monlepe, set to face Dylan next.
“Oh, come on. Please, one of you, just lose already. I’m fourth. Let me have a chance too, huh?”
“You’re fourth? I’m fifth. Damn it…”
The fourth and fifth knights muttered gloomily.
Addleton, the second knight to go, clapped the fourth knight on the shoulder and cracked a cheerful joke.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to wait for the next chance. This big brother’s gotta win. For Lady Asil’s sake.”
He headed to the arena for the next match.
Soon, the arena witnessed two more unprecedented upsets.
* * *
The final score was 3 to 0.
Monlepe 3, Staraphit 0.
‘Asil’s honor has been upheld.’
Asil, who had been munching on corn snacks next to Edenber while watching the match, puffed out her shoulders with pride.
Then she turned her head toward Duke Starafit, who had started shouting nearby.
“This is absurd!”
He couldn’t accept the result at all.
In a rage, Duke Starafit slammed the armrest of his chair.
“Duke Monlepe must have rigged the match! There’s no way we could lose otherwise!”
“What nonsense is that?”
Edenber calmly pointed out the flaw in his words.
“It was Starafit who requested this friendly match first. We followed the date and place as agreed.”
“You…!”
Duke Starafit, at a loss for words, clenched his fists tightly.
Being spoken to like that by someone young enough to be his son only worsened his already foul mood, sending it plummeting further.
And that wasn’t the only thing infuriating him.
“I didn’t realize the gap in skill between the two houses was this wide. And to think Starafit even had a magic swordsman…”
“Duke Monlepe once said, didn’t he? That even without Starafit’s divine beast, they could have handled the monsters just fine.”
“Now that I think about it, that might be true. Because of Starafit’s divine beast, Monlepe ’s knights were the only ones who suffered.”
“And yet they had to bow and apologize to Starafit. How bitter that must have been…”
Public opinion had reversed in an instant.
Before long, Monlepe had become the victim, while Starafit was now seen as the despicable aggressor who not only caused the deaths of innocent knights but also demanded an apology from the wronged house.
Asil glanced at Edenber, whose expression had softened slightly.
‘Hubby looks happy.’
She didn’t know why, but if Edenber was happy, so was she. Feeling proud, Asil tilted her chin up.
Meanwhile, Duke Starafit, seething with rage, clenched his jaw.
This wasn’t the outcome he had hoped for when he organized this friendly match. How had things gone so wrong?
At that moment, the referee was concluding the event from the arena.
“Ladies and gentlemen, with this, all matches have concluded.”
“Boooooo!”
“Let the other two fight too!”
“I bet my entire fortune on Starafit! Let the others fight!”
“Thank you for your enthusiastic support. With that, today’s friendly match will come to a close—”
“Wait.”
It was then that someone wearing a hood stepped into the arena, accompanied by sturdy knights.
“Bbi?”
Asil tilted her head, looking down at the arena.
As the surroundings grew quiet, the newcomer removed their hood.
It was a human girl with dark navy hair and black eyes, pretty but with a fierce demeanor.
‘Who is she?’
She’s really pretty. Asil stared at the newly appeared human.
Then, startled by the crowd’s sudden shout, her eyes widened.
“Her Highness the Third Princess!”
So this human was the infamous ferocious princess!
The crowd hurriedly knelt to pay their respects, confirming the rumors were true.
‘That’s the kind of presence you need to be called ferocious.’
So cool. Asil absolutely had to earn the title of ferocious too!
Clenching her front paws tightly, Asil resolved once more.
Meanwhile, Eokaste, gracefully surveying the crowd, gave a slight smile.
“With so many people watching, how could we end it here?”
“Wise words!”
“Her Highness is right!”
The nobles, who had lost fortunes because of Starafit, shouted with bloodshot eyes.
Among them was a noble who had lost 5 million gold after being swayed by Eokaste.
With the crowd’s support, Iokaste’s gaze fell on Edenber and Duke Starafit.
“However, with such a clear gap in strength between the two houses’ knights, another match would likely yield the same result. What should we do about this?”
Pretending to ponder, Eokaste tilted her head before letting out a feigned exclamation.
“Oh, right. There happen to be two divine beasts present.”
The expressions of Edenber and Duke Starafit hardened instantly. They immediately understood the princess’s intent.
But before they could object, Eokaste spoke brightly and quickly.
“To foster harmony between the houses, how about a friendly match between the divine beasts?”
At her words, the noisy arena fell silent in an instant.
Never before had there been a spar between divine beasts.
Their powers were evenly matched, and losing would only diminish one’s own standing.
Unfortunately, this time, it seemed unavoidable.
The crowd began to murmur.
“No matter how strong Monlepe ’s monster is, it can’t possibly beat a true divine beast.”
“But no one expected Monlepe to win the knights’ friendly match either.”
“If this keeps up, Monlepe might even win the divine beast match. By the way, where is Monlepe’s divine beast? I don’t see it anywhere.”
The murmuring crowd’s gazes turned to the two dukes.
Edenber furrowed his brow, while Duke Starafit was barely restraining himself from gnashing his teeth.
‘That crazy princess dares to use my divine beast as a measuring stick for a monster!’
Determined not to let that happen, he opened his mouth to speak, but Edenber was faster.
“I refuse. Such a sudden spar is inappropriate.”
“…Indeed. I agree with Duke Monlepe! Moreover, there are no safety measures here, and a fight between divine beasts could cause great damage!”
“No need to worry about that. I’ve brought the imperial mages. They will set up a barrier.”
Eokaste curved her eyes into a smile.
“I agree that a sudden spar is inappropriate. But divine beasts must always be ready to fight. Battles don’t always come with advance notice, do they?”
“Well…”
“Oh, just fight already.”
As Edenber tried to argue again, a curt voice interrupted from beside Duke Starafit.
Asil turned toward the voice.
A boy with red hair and red eyes, exuding a delinquent vibe, stood up abruptly.
His handsome face was twisted in frustration, as if annoyed by the delay.
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By Anna 💓
